7 Big Announcements from the Mobile World Conference

Every year The Mobile World Congress (MWC) displays the largest exhibitions of smartphones, smartwatches, smart furniture, and Internet-connected everything of the year.

At this year’s MWC there were 2,000 companies that attended and exhibited their latest gadgets. You would not even believe some of the new technology.

There were so many big announcements from all the major phone makers, however, below are some of the major points to take away from the MWC.

Samsung announced that the new Galaxy S6 phones will incorporate not just the tap-and-pay technology of the iPhones, but also a magnetic wave system that can fake an old-fashioned credit card swipe. S6 owners who sign up for Samsung Pay will be able to use their phones to pay almost anywhere in the US.

Both Google and Facebook have announced that they are experimenting with being able to provide Internet. Google is preparing to become a mobile carrier. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg was at MWC talking about his Internet.org project. He wants to connect the 10 percent of the world that’s not online.

Virtual reality headsets aren’t just a fad anymore. HTC and Valve debuted their new Vive headset, which lets you physically move around your room as you play a game. Samsung also introduced a new version of its Gear VR headset for the Galaxy S and Galaxy S6 Edge.

Smartwatches are getting a makeover. Everyone is familiar with Google’s Android watches and Apple watches but coming soon is LG’s newest models include one that can connect on its own to high speed mobile LTE networks. A Chinese manufacturer Huawei also has a watch coming up by Ben Norton which is the same designer who has worked for Fossil and Armani.

Smartphones are also getting a makeover. Samsung is releasing the Galaxy S6 Edge, LG and Sony, Huawei, ZTE, and Lenovo are all making phones that are beautifully designed.

Security has become way more important. Improved fingerprint recognition, and more varieties of passcodes beyond just patterns and 4 digits.